This wall relief by Timothy P. Schmalz presents us with a tender moment all father's must know... holding a sleeping child and wondering, "What will become of the child I hold in my arms?"
Joseph found himself with responsibility for a child not his own in the natural sense. The child Jesus was not his - but at the same time, was his to care for...
In a real way, all our loves are like this... Love brings a share in the life of the beloved but never ownership of the other... The ones we love are ours - and at the same time, not ours...
Joseph, you hold in your arms
the son your beloved has brought to life...
He is not yours - but he is yours
to care for, to nurture,
to shelter, to love...
Teach us to hold one another
as you held him:
faithfully, carefully and gently...
Teach us the love
whose embrace never fails
to free the ones
we hold as our own...
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